Hemingways Beach Resort, Watamu, Kenya.

It was an amazing day of fishing, with sail fish in particular popping up all over the place. 

A total of 42 Sail were caught today and 9 Striped marlin.

The winners are:

First Place - Black Widow, fished by Batian Craig, Nixon Nayeni and Adam Ogden with 2,800 points

Second Place - Tega, fished by Neil McGowan, Nick Dolton, John Bolden, Jen Cahill & Steve George with 2,589.5 points

Third Place - White Bear, fished by Robin James, Stuart MaCauley and James Shepherd with 2,525 points.

Congratulations to everyone.

This weekend we have the Watamu Festival Fishing Competition taking place.  We have had a fabulous turn out with 16 boats taking part and some superb fishing! 

On the first day we've had a total of 25 sailfish and 13 marlin.  One big Blue was almost 200 kg and was a little strange in that it was missing its bill.

The boats are all out there again today and we wait to see the final result.

03rd March 

Ol-Jogi II with Ron Huggins got 1 Stripey and a Sail  

Simba with Debs Green had 1 Sail,  

Tega with Charlie and John  Bolden got 1 Stripey, 1 Sail and an Amberjack tagged/released  

White Bear fished by Malcolm and Kristina Ducker bottom fishing recorded 4 Wahoo 48kgs and 2 Dorados 10kgs.  

02nd March

Black Widow got 2 Sails with Charlie Brogden. 

Tega with Barry Milburn got 1 Stripey. 

01st March 

Bamara recorded over 540lbs of bottom fish  

Black Widow – fished by Talbot and Charlie Brogden & Peter Petzer got 1 Stripey and 1 Sail.  

B's Nest with Colin and Beryl Brown came in very happy after a half day with 4 Wahoo 42kgs, 4 Yellowfin tuna 12kgs, 4 Rainbow runner 16kgs.  

Ron Huggins on Ol-Jogi II got a Sail  

Simba recorded 7 Yellowfin 44kgs, 1 Wahoo and a Dorado. 

Tega with John and Charlie Bolden had a Stripey and 5 Sails tagged.  

28th Feb 

Tega fished by David Biddle, Laurie Bowden and David Hennessy had 6 Sails tagged and released. 

Seastorm with had 3 Sails.  

B's Nest with Paul Renken, Theo Englezakis and John Willcocks also recorded 3 Sails  

Instedda with Imraan Moosa and Alan Sibley returned with a Stripey. 

Black Widow with Talbot, Charlie Brogden and Peter Petzer having done an overnight in NKB got a Stripey  & 2 Groupers 33kgs. 

White Bear fished by Pat and Peter Owen & Marc Seagrave recorded 4 Sails having been fishing off Malindi.   

27th Feb 

B's Nest with Trevor Proctor had a Stripey, 7 Sails, 4 Yellowfin 15kgs and 2 Dorado 12kgs. 

Seastorm with Justus Potgieter and Anthonis Weststrate got 2 Sails & 2 Amberjack.

Ol-Jogi II with Ron Huggins had a fantastic day recording 1 Stripey 10 Sails, 5 yellowfin 17kgs, 4 Falusi 26kgs, 1 Barracuda and a Snapper.   

26th Feb 

Bamara had 5 Sails plus some Yellowfin, Dorado and Wahoo.  

B's Nest with the Unilever Group had 1 Sail and some Dorados. 

Black Widow fished by Talbot, Charlie Brogden and Peter Petzer released a Silver Tip Shark estimated at 350lbs.  

Ol-Jogi II with Tim Rayment tagged 3 Amberjack of 17kgs/18kgs/20kgs respectively. 

Seastorm with Dirk Meintsend and Duane Forrester had a Sail each, plus some Wahoo and Dorado.  

Simba with Debbie Green got 1 Stripey

 25th Feb 

B's Nest fished by Paul Belcher and Peter Corbett had 2 Stripeys and a Sail

Ol-Jogi II with Ron Huggins got 1 Stripey and 2 Sails. 

Seastorm fished by Justus Potgieter and Anthonis Weststrate got 1 Stripey and 1 Sail.

03rd March 

Ol-Jogi II with Ron Huggins got 1 Stripey and a Sail  

Simba with Debs Green had 1 Sail,  

Tega with Charlie and John  Bolden got 1 Stripey, 1 Sail and an Amberjack tagged/released  

White Bear fished by Malcolm and Kristina Ducker bottom fishing recorded 4 Wahoo 48kgs and 2 Dorados 10kgs.  

02nd March

Black Widow got 2 Sails with Charlie Brogden. 

Tega with Barry Milburn got 1 Stripey. 

01st March 

Bamara recorded over 540lbs of bottom fish  

Black Widow – fished by Talbot and Charlie Brogden & Peter Petzer got 1 Stripey and 1 Sail.  

B's Nest with Colin and Beryl Brown came in very happy after a half day with 4 Wahoo 42kgs, 4 Yellowfin tuna 12kgs, 4 Rainbow runner 16kgs.  

Ron Huggins on Ol-Jogi II got a Sail  

Simba recorded 7 Yellowfin 44kgs, 1 Wahoo and a Dorado. 

Tega with John and Charlie Bolden had a Stripey and 5 Sails tagged.  

28th Feb 

Tega fished by David Biddle, Laurie Bowden and David Hennessy had 6 Sails tagged and released. 

Seastorm with had 3 Sails.  

B's Nest with Paul Renken, Theo Englezakis and John Willcocks also recorded 3 Sails  

Instedda with Imraan Moosa and Alan Sibley returned with a Stripey. 

Black Widow with Talbot, Charlie Brogden and Peter Petzer having done an overnight in NKB got a Stripey  & 2 Groupers 33kgs. 

White Bear fished by Pat and Peter Owen & Marc Seagrave recorded 4 Sails having been fishing off Malindi.   

27th Feb 

B's Nest with Trevor Proctor had a Stripey, 7 Sails, 4 Yellowfin 15kgs and 2 Dorado 12kgs. 

Seastorm with Justus Potgieter and Anthonis Weststrate got 2 Sails & 2 Amberjack.

Ol-Jogi II with Ron Huggins had a fantastic day recording 1 Stripey 10 Sails, 5 yellowfin 17kgs, 4 Falusi 26kgs, 1 Barracuda and a Snapper.   

26th Feb 

Bamara had 5 Sails plus some Yellowfin, Dorado and Wahoo.  

B's Nest with the Unilever Group had 1 Sail and some Dorados. 

Black Widow fished by Talbot, Charlie Brogden and Peter Petzer released a Silver Tip Shark estimated at 350lbs.  

Ol-Jogi II with Tim Rayment tagged 3 Amberjack of 17kgs/18kgs/20kgs respectively. 

Seastorm with Dirk Meintsend and Duane Forrester had a Sail each, plus some Wahoo and Dorado.  

Simba with Debbie Green got 1 Stripey

 25th Feb 

B's Nest fished by Paul Belcher and Peter Corbett had 2 Stripeys and a Sail

Ol-Jogi II with Ron Huggins got 1 Stripey and 2 Sails. 

Seastorm fished by Justus Potgieter and Anthonis Weststrate got 1 Stripey and 1 Sail.

17th FebSea Storm with Chris Biddlecombe and Rob Thompson tagged 2 Sails and a Wahoo 10kgs.

Black Widow fished by Calvin , Darryn, Philip Du Plessis, Michael Rall and Wayne Guthrie fishing for day/night/day had 4 Broadbill swordfish and 6 Sails all tagged and released.

B's Nest with Mario Zambernard and Giulio Biagini had 7 Sails.

White Bear with Mark Ebberson and Jamie Smith fishing off Malindi got 6 Sails all tagged.

Blue Eyes with Faillord Merri and Luke De Moustier got 3 sails on the mountains.

Pussy Cat on the rips saw Tony Way tagging a Stripey and boated some Wahoo.

Darrel and Fred Mercer on Simba came home with good size Wahoo and dorado.

B's Nest with Mario Zamberenard and Giulio Biagini got 180lbs of snapper an amberjack and a grouper.

Peter Atterbury on Ol-Jogi II got a Black Marlin tagged at approximately 200kgs. 

Jeremy Block tagged a Sail on fly on Simba.

Black Widow with Mark Ebberson and Jamie Smith got 1 Black 90kgs plus 2 Sails all tagged.

Samvuke out with Kenneth Watson; a regular released a Giant Trevally off the Canyons and also had a nice size yellowfin tuna and a kingfish all on light line.

Ol-Jogi II fished by Carl Brown, Sam Dayeh and Tony Reade also regulars  got 2 Blacks one estimated about 250lbs tagged by Carl and the other one 190lbs tagged and released by Sam.

 Jasiri out for the night for Broadbill hunt on fly with Gai Cullen, Tina Allen and Paula Tackle released 1 Broad bill but were unsuccessful on the fly. 

Blue Eyes fished by Le Moustier and Paillard Merri had 2 Sails tagged and a Red Snapper 55lbs.

Ol-Jogi II with Martin Kendall and Lorra O’Sullivan got 1 Sail.

A quiet day for most of the boats, Ol-Jogi II with Peter Atterbury had 2 Sails tagged,

Our fishing has been so good for the last few weeks that we were interviewed on a radio show.  If you'd like to listen; we've got it on the web link below:

20th Jan

Unreel with David Bird, Terry Pendry and Phil Revett had 2 Striped marlin and a sail tagged and released and some bottom fish.

A very Happy New Year to you all!  It was a wonderful party here in Watamu; Omar and his team spoiled us rotten with a fantastic buffet and our team of waiters and bartenders kept the wines and champagne flowing. 

We partied all night and finished off with the sunrise and the immortal Beatles song, 'Here Comes the Sun'.

Welcome 2010 and may it be a happy, healthy and successful one for you all.

Mad dogs and Englishmen, go out in the noon day sun...yes, it was the annual Hemingways versus Ocean Sports Beach Cricket Match today.  We are proud to announce that despite the valiant efforts of the Ocean Sports Team; the Hemingways tactics of running no matter where the ball went won the day!  The OS Captain, Chris Paget, presented Dicky, our Hemingways Team Leader with the Ashes for yet another year with a score of 100 runs to 75. 

The Man of the Match for Hemingways was our youngest player, Miles Seymour who not only scored runs but also bowled a wicket!  Congratulations Miles!

Merry Christmas!  The team at Hemingways would like to wish all of our guests, those here and those far away, a very happy Christmas! 

Santa came to visit this morning, arriving with a tuk tuk, Rudolph and one of his elves.  All the children gathered round while he gave out presents and then took photos with him.  The elf gave rides in the tuk tuk and great fun was had by all!

Have a happy, happy day!

On behalf of everyone here at Hemingways we would like to wish you all a very happy holiday season.  We look forward to seeing you again next year and until then wish you health and happiness for 2010.

We were very happy to have hosted Gavin Hastings and his family over this last week.  Gavin was kind enough to show off our lovely beach as he enjoyed the sunshine although sadly we never managed to arrange a game of beach rugby!  Next time maybe!

Hemingways enjoyed a truly superb evening last night when we hosted a troupe of extremely talented West End singers for a concert in aid of the Watamu Marine Association. 

The evening started off in grand style with a delicious seven course meal prepared by Chef Omar and his team and then we kicked off the entertainment with twenty of our staff members who had been rehearsing all week.  Nelly led them in the dance and singing to the Circle of Life from the Lion King.  It brought the house down!

The show then carried on with the superb tenor and soprano voices of our UK team singing a variety of well loved songs from famous musicals.  A truly magical experience!

The party continued after the show with dancing to the Safari Sounds Band. 

All funds raised during the dinner are heading towards the Watamu Marine Association; a community based Marine conservation group here in Watamu which is working to keep Watamu wonderful!

A huge thank you to everyone who supported the event, it was a simply superb experience!

7^TH September 09
B`s Nest fished by Vorovtsor and Natalia Valery had 1 Wahoo 11kgs,1 Kingfish 6.5kgs and 1Tuna 6kgs

9^TH September 09
B`snest fished with Judith Cathie and David Mackenzie got 1 Sailfish 25kgs tagged and released.

11^TH September 09
B`s Nest fished by Robson Green (Film star) had 1 Kingfish 12.5kgs, 1 Wahoo 6kgs, 2 Falusi 4kgs. They tagged and released 1 Giant trevally 21kgs.Black Widow fished by Louise Allen and Allessandra Lucy Davanzo had 5  Yellow Fin Tuna 41kgs  and I Kingfish 11kgs.

12^TH September 09
OL-Jogi fished by Ian, Clare and Laura Parker had 4 Bonito 7kgs and 2 Garfish 2kgs.They also tagged and released 1 Giant trevally 17kgs.B`s Nest fished by Robson Green (Film star) had 1 Black Marlin 140kgs tagged and released.

13^TH September 09
Film star Robson Green on local dhow fishing on hand line had 1 Grouper (Tewa)2kgs,2 Blue snapper (Shikashangu) 3kgs and 2 White snapper (Changu) 1kg Black Widow fished by Keith Asherwood had 3 Falusi 14kgs and 1 Yellow Fin Tuna 6kgs.

14^TH September 09
Sea Storm fished by Heather and Keith Asherwood had 1 Kingfish 14kgs, 1 wahoo 7kgs and 1 Yellow Fin Tuna 5kgs.OL-Jogi fished by Kevin Nettleingham had 1 Yellow Fin Tuna 7kgs, 3 Wahoo 24kgs, 1 Kingfish 8kgs, 1 Dorado 6kgs, 1 cobia 11kgs and 1 kawa kawa 3kgs.

15^TH September 09
OL-Jogi fished by Moodie  and Ann George had 1Wahoo 11kgs,1 Kingfish 6kgs and 1 Giant trevally 19kgs boated.They tagged and released  1 Giant trevally 20kgs and 1 Sailfish 26kgsSea Storm fished by Kelvin Nettleingham had 1 Kingfish 19kgs,3Yellow Fin Tuna 21kgs, 1 Wahoo 7kgs and 1 Dorado 4kgs.

16^Th September 09
Kelvin Nettleingham on Seastorm had 3 Yellowfin Tuna 20kgs, 1 Dorado 6.5kgs, 2 Wahoo 26kgs, 1 Barracuda 4kgs and 1 Kingfish 4kgs

It has been a tuna week at Hemingways.  All of our fishing boats have been catching lovely big yellowfin tuna which our kitchen most gratefully receives.

 Chef has produced fantastic sashimi for the bar bitings and you really must try the Seared Pepper crust Tuna Steak he did for dinner one night.  Simply out of this world!

Why not come and try it; it doesn't get fresher than this!

We have a tradition here at Hemingways; when one of our guests catches their first ever marlin, we have a celebration in the bar.  Details of the fishing are announced  and the lucky angler gets to celebrate with everyone by ringing the marlin bell and buying a round of drinks.

This week we've had three marlin bells rung, all on the same day.  A father and son team; Pieter and Thomas Puelinkx both caught black marlins estimated at 65 and 80 kg respectively.  William Brogan Higgins caught his first marlin, also a black, estimated at 65kg.  All three were tagged and released. 

Congratulations to them all!

July brings the start of the wildebeest migration in the Mara and most of our current guests are combining their beach holiday with time spent on the rolling plains! 

The Mara has had rain; one of the few areas to get a decent amount this year and the grass is long and lush.  The first herds started appearing 10 days ago and have already spread out across the plains.

The other animals are in their ususal abundance and the best spotting so far has been of two leopards, Olive and Binti.  They were out in the open in the middle of the day, sunning themselves.  Absolutely beautiful!

July has arrived in force with strong winds but still almost no rain.  The days are averaging 26 degrees C with a good strong breeze coming from the south. 

We've already run several fun dhow cruises in Mida Creek and the snorkeling is excellent with several more species of fish arriving back in the lagoon at last; after not being seen for over 11 years when we had the last El nino.

The fishing is also already up and running, we've had several small black marlins caught already including one of approximately 50kg caught by Sebastian Garret aged only 11 years old.

We look forward to having you come and enjoy yourselves with us.

A very happy month of June to you!

We are now open and ready for our guests to arrive; our first four clients this year arrived as we opened the doors. 

We look forward to seeing you all here over the next few months.

Well, it is the month of the long rains...but so far, very little rain has arrived.  It is hot, sunny and very quiet, I went for a walk on the beach yesterday and did not see a single person; truly, not one!  A 7 km long beach all to oneself; utterly magic! 

Whilst the hotel is closed for guests, we are very busy doing all the maintenance works and there is always someone here to answer your emails; let us know how we can help.

Have a lovely month!

What a superb birthday present!  Barry Milburn, out fishing for his first marlin with Steve George on Tega had the ultimate fishing birthday celebration.

 In the morning he got his first marlin, a nice Stripy, then along came a Blue, followed by 2 sailfish as they headed in towards Lamu thinking of a nice seafood dinner and comfortable nights' sleep. 

But then they got a Black marlin, leaving only the Broadbill left for the ultimate fishing trophy.  So, eating a dinner of tinned ravioli, baked beans and bread rolls, they stayed out at sea all night and motored back into Watamu and Hemingways at 6am with 2 Broadbill to complete the 3rd ever Fantasy Slam in Africa. 

Congratulations Barry!

Looking at the Weather reports, it looks as though much of the UK is going to be white this week.  We are white as well of course and wouldn't you prefer to sample our type of white? 

Current temperature: 25-30C

Many time repeat clients, David and Maggie Bird and Will and Sandie Edmeades were befriended on their beach walks by a lovely, gentle local dog.  Unfortunately, as time passed, it was obvious that he did not belong to a loving home and he became skinnier every day. 

 Sami the dog was taken to our local vet for treatment, loads of food and loving care.  A new and permanent home is being looked for now as well but he is being sponsored by our guests in the meantime. 

After just a few days Sami is much happier and healthier!

David and Maggie use the local tuk tuk service to pay Sami visits.

19^th January

Un Reel with David Bird, David Ball and Philip Revett had 1 striped marlin and 1 sailfish all tagged/released est 60kgs and 28kgs respectively. 

20^th January  

Simba with Mark Allen and crew ( Mtawli, Balozi, & Kazungu) had 1 striped marlin est 70kgs and 5 sailfish all tagged and released. 

21^st January

Simba with Roger Smith, Roy Quelch and Mark Utting had 1 striped marlin 70kgs, 2 sailfish all tagged and released and some bottom fish. 

Unreel with Phil Revett, David Bird and David Ball had 1 sailfish released, 2 warsaw groupers and ruby snappers.

White Bear with Eddie and Yvonne Bulley had 2 sailfish tagged/released, one on fly.

 22^nd January

B’s Nest with Philip De Pass and Julian Smith generally on fly had a difficult day as they raised a number of fish but none would take the bait.

Ol-JogiII with Roger Smith, Desmond Sugrue and George Sugrue had 1 black marlin est 110 kgs tagged/released.

Simba with Roy Quelch, Mark Utting and Jim Barrowman had 1 striped marlin 80kgs and 1 sailfish tagged/released and 1 dorado 7kgs.

Unreel with Axel and Annamarie Sorensen had a total of 5 sailfish, three on fly, all tagged/released.

Tega with Steve George weighed bottom fish over 80kgs (Groupers/Snappers) 

23^rd January

Ol-Jogi II with Jim Barrowman, Mark Utting and Roy Quelch had 1 striped marlin 78kgs tagged/released and 5 dorados 11kgs.  

Simba with Allan Sibley, Tina and Mark Allen had a striped marlin tagged/released 80kgs.

Seastorm with Roger Smith, Desmond and George Sugrue had 1 striped marlin 70kgs, 2 sailfish all tagged and 1 wahoo 13kgs.

Un Reel with David Bird and David Ball had 4 groupers 84kgs and ruby snappers 8kgs.

B's Nest with Phillip De Pass and Julian Smith had 2 sailfish on fly. 

24^th January

Seastorm with Lurii Pysarenko, Vitaliy Loginov, Elin Volodimir, and Anatolii Pysarenko had 3 sailfish tagged/released.

UnReel with Phil Revett and Paul Avery had 1 black marlin 100kgs, 1 striped marlin 55kgs and 1 sailfish tagged/released.

Simba with Roger Smith had 1 striped marlin 70kgs, 1 sailfish tagged/released, a wahoo of 12kgs and a dorado 5kgs.

Ol-Jogi II with Eddie Bulley and Richard Baudry targeting fish on fly had only 2 dorados 9kgs. 

25^th January

Tega with a Brazilian film crew led by Parris de Felice had 1 striped marlin est 80kgs; 2 sailfish all tagged/released and 1 amberjack 15kgs.

B's Nest with Robin Minterkemp, Jonathan Lowe and Julian Mills had 3 sailfish tagged/released.

Seastorm with Loginov Vitaliy, Pysarenko Anatolii, Pysarenko Yuriy and Illi Volodimir had 1 striped marlin 75kgs and 1 sailfish all tagged/released, 1 yellowfin tuna 18kgs, 2 warsaw groupers 28kgs and 2 barracuda 14kgs.

Simba with Eddie Bulley and Richard Baudry had 1 sailfish tagged/released on fly.

Un Reel with David Bird, David Ball and Clive Norman had 2 striped marlin tagged/released est 55kgs and 65kgs; 1 black snoek 17kgs and 1 warsaw grouper 10kgs.

Instedda with Allan Sibley had 3 striped marlin est 60kgs; 5 sailfish all tagged/released.

 Other Watamu Boats

Tarka reported over 8 striped marlin est average 65kgs and 21 sailfish fished one day in Malindi all tagged/released. 

27th Dec

B's Nest with Simon Kaye had 4 sailfish t/r all on fly.

White Bear with Giorgio Petrangelli party had 2 sail tagged/released.

Ol-Jogi II with Mark Bird and Richard Baudry had 3 sailfish on fly and 1 sailfish trolling.

28th Dec

Bamara with Andy Manfield and co. had 264 kgs of bottom fish; snappers/groupers on a half day.

White Bear on a  full day with Gordon Siegert had 1 sailfish tagged.

Instedda with Joseph Kimemya had 1 sailfish released.

29th Dec

Instedda with Rishi and Usam Sharda had 3 sailfish released

Ol- Jogi II with John Milne party had 1 sail tagged & 2 dorados.

White Bear with the Gordon Siegert party again had 1 dorado 6kgs.

B's Nest with Charles and Stephen Yarrow had some snappers/groupers and yellowfin Tuna.

30th Dec

Tega with Steve George had 1 barracuda and some dorados.

Simba with Richard Baudry had 1 sailfish on fly.

Instedda with Alberto Merlati had 4 sailfish tagged

Ol-jogi II with Charles and John Prior had 1 striped marlin est 80kgs and 1 sailfish tagged/released and a couple of small dorados.

B's Nest with Simon Kaye again had 5 sailfish all tagged/released on fly and a small yellowfin.

31st Dec

Happy Striker with David Wright had 7 yellowfin tuna 25kgs on a half day run.

White Bear with Andy Gorman had 1 sailfish tagged, and a couple of wahoo and dorados.

B's Nest with David Roffles had only 1 falusi 6kgs.

Simba  with the Allens and Peter Lockwood had  a superb day with  a SUPER GRAND SLAM with 1 blue and striped marlin tagged/released est. 100kgs and 60kgs respectively, 1 sailfish and 1 black marlin  at 100kgs.

Tega with Steve George had 5 yellowfin tuna 18kgs.

1st Jan 09

Samvuke with James Adcock had 2 barracuda at 11kgs

Ol- Jogi II with Kareem and Omar Derbas had 1 yellowfin tuna 5kgs on a half day.

2nd Jan 09

B's nest with David Rofles had 1 wahoo121/2kgs ona  full day.

Ol-jogi with Kareem and Omar Derbas had 3 yellowfin tuna 8kgs; 14  large sailfish Tagged/released weighing approximately 30kgs, 29kgs,28kgs, 26kgs, 27kgs, 28kgs, 29kgs, 32kgs, 30kgs, 25kgs, 29kgs, 26kgs, 27kgs, 28kgs respectively.

Tega with Isabelle, Maxime, Antonette and F.Dehennin.had 6 yellowfin tuna 20kgs.

Whitebear with Steve Allard, Giorgio Jnr,  & Giorgio Snr. Petrangeli had some Ruby,Red snappers,and groupers.

Vuma with Peter had 2 wahoos 21kgs and 4 tunas 12kgs.

3rd Jan 09

Whitebear with Charles Honard,Russell Boycott, Francesca Honard, Daisy Leitch and Alex Beard had 8 tunas 8kgs and bait fish.

Whitebear with Jack Johnson and Charley had 2 yellowfin tuna 4kgs

Ol-Jogi with Omar and Kareem Derbas on a day/night fishing had  1broadbill swordfish at 48.5kgs and 1 sailfish tagged/released.

Simba with George Allen had 1 sailfish tagged/released.

4th Jan 09

Samvuke with Bill Wikinns had 2 kingfish 14kgs.

Ol- Jogi II with Omar and Kareem Derbas on a half day had 1 sailfish and a giant trevally tagged/released and 2 yellowfin 5kgs.

Other Watamu Boats

Unreel reported 1 striped marlin est 50kgs, 1 black marlin 80kgs, 7 sailfish tagged/released.

Alleycat run by Pete Danborough reported 4 stripeys est 60 -70kgs, tagged/released; 1 black marlin 78kgs which died and 12 sailfish released.

Tarka with Callum Looman reported 4 stripeys est 65kgs and 1 black marlin 85kgs all released and 6 sailfish.

We would like to wish everyone a wonderful, happy, healthy 2009 and we look forward to having you visit with us over the next few months.

With all the very best wishes,

The Hemingways Team 

The Ithumba Elephants are proving popular as a side trip to a Hemingways holiday.  It seems that baby elephants are on everyone's must see list!

And when you can get this close; I can understand why everyone wants to visit! This lovely youngster came along and pressed the camera button herself.

Excellent fishing continues with the sail fish continuing to dominate. 

15th DecOl-Jogi II with Nick and Lawrence Cox had 1 blue marlin tagged/ released estimated at  140kgs plus 2 sailfish.Tega with Nigel Pothecary, Oli and Wendy Davis had 8 sailfish released; 9 yellowfin and a dorado.White Bear with Jawad Jaffer, Nishat and Amersi Jaffer had 7 sailfish tagged/released.B's Nest with Brian, David and Ronald Visser had 8 sailfish tagged/released and 2 yellowfin. 

16th DecOl-Jogi II with Garry Mitchel, Howard Knott, Justin Mitchel, Darren Mitchel and young Gavin Knott had 6 sailfish tagged/released.White Bear with Nick and Lawrence Cox had 1 sailfish; 2 giant trevally tagged/released plus some bottom fish, amberjack and warsaw groupers. 

17th DecWhite Bear with the Ndegwa family had 13 yellowfin, a kingfish and a rainbow runner on a half day charter run.B's Nest with the Visser Party again had a total of 14 sailfish and a dorado.Ol-Jogi II with the Cox party again had 1 black marlin est 220kgs; 5 sailfish and 5 giant trevally all tagged and released plus 1 small broadbill sword fish. 

18th Dec B's Nest with the Visser party had 12 sailfish tagged/released.White Bear with the Cox party again had 1 sailfish released. 

19th DecB'S Nest with the Visser party again 5 sailfish and 3 giant trevally tagged/released.Ol-Jogi II with Howard Knott, Shaun Knott, Tessa and Gavin Knott had 10 sailfish all tagged/released.White Bear with Andrew and George Sturdy had 4 sailfish tagged, 9 yellowfin tuna and 1 dorado. 

20th DecB's Nest with Garry Cullen had 7 sailfish tagged/released, all caught on Fly.White Bear with Simon, Sam, & William Edwards had 1 black marlin 65kgs which died, and 15 sailfish all tagged/released.Instedda with Pieter Arnocronje, Hendrick  and Jaccomina Jacobs and Mia Jameel had 5 sailfish tagged/released. 

21st DecB's Nest with Richard Horner had 11 sailfish all tagged and released.Tega on a full day bottom fishing had 90kgs snappers/groupers.Simba with Garry and Gai Cullen had 6 sailfish tagged/released all on Fly.Ol-Jogi II with Andrew Manfield had 2 sailfish and 1 giant trevally tagged/released.White Bear with Richard Baudry had 3 sailfish tagged/released all on Fly. 

22nd DecOl- Jogi II with Gavin Laws on a half day had 1 sailfish tagged/released.B's Nest with Giorgio Ceifis on a half day had 38kgs of bottom fish (snappers/groupers). 

23rd DecB's Nest with Simon Kaye had 4 sailfish all tagged and released on Fly.Ol- Jogi II with Robert Gordon,  Robert Siegert, and Chris Stewart had 11 sailfish tagged/released.Simba with Christel, Quentin, Lawrence and Francis Millet had 3 sailfish tagged/released.White Bear with Richard Baudry had 8 sailfish all tagged and released on Fly. 

24th DecOl- Jogi II with Mark Bird had 2 sailfish tagged.Tega with Gavin and Julie Laws had 6 sailfish all released.Tengesi skippered by Adam Ogden fished by Gary MacNtyre had 14 sailfish tagged/released.White Bear with Richard Baudry had 3 sailfish all tagged/released on Fly.Simba with George Allen and crew had total of 5 sailfish tagged. 

25th DecInstedda with Imraan and crew had 10 sailfish tagged/released.Bamara with Gai, Gray, Crista  & Garry Cullen, Richard Baudry and Suzane Cosgrove had 3 sailfish released on Fly. 

26th DecWhite Bear with the Edwards party again had 5 sailfish tagged/released.Ol- Jogi II with Ian, Patrick and Thomas Forster had 3 sailfish tagged/released.B's Nest with Piet Botha and N van Eyk had 4 sailfish tagged and released. 

Other Watamu boatsUn Reel  skippered by Rob Hellier reported over 88 sailfish released in a 7 day run.Tarka skippered by Callum Looman reported a Black Marlin est 70kgs tagged/released and over 75 sailfish in a weeks run.

The 27th December is traditionally reserved for the Watamu Ashes Cricket Match.  Hemingways and Ocean Sports duel it out on the beach as our guests take their turns bowling and fielding.  Ocean Sports were first in to bat this year and managed a highly successful 72 runs for their 20 batsmen.  Hemingways came in to bat and it was looking very close there as we crept slowly upwards.  Our late batters were up to the challenge though and we managed to get our 73rd run with several batsmen still in hand.

 A very big congratulations and thanks to our team captain, Richard Orsman and thanks especially to our Hemingways Man of the Match Matt Manfield who managed to get three wickets in one over!  Well done Matt!

We hope that everybody has enjoyed  a wonderful merry christmas with friends and family wherever you are.  The celebration here was lovely with a local church choir singing carols; Omar producing a traditional dinner with all the trimmings and of course Santa paid us a visit, arriving in a donkey cart this year! 

Annie and James Manfield and Leslie and Pip Greenwood; all proud sponsors of a Daphne Sheldrick elephant orphan or two, were our first guests on the new Ithumba safari.  They flew up to the camp, arriving just in time for the morning mud bath and feeding session.  Annie writes:  " ...the babies came trundling out of the bush with their keepers; the youngest making a beeline for their bottles of milk.  We were encouraged to help feed them and it was the most moving experience being allowed to get so close to magnificent creatures.  They then headed over to join the bigger fellas playing in the mud wallow."

Now, don't you think this would be a great safari experience for you too?  A wonderful day for our guests and it helps to sponsor the elephants as well!

New Safari possibility at Hemingways Baby animals are always cute, but tend to grow up very quickly into things that are not cute but have teeth and claws and horns and things.We have, as a family, tried to bring up many young animals and have had our share of success and many failures.But, having been there these last two days, what the Sheldrick Trust are doing with raising baby elephants at Ithumba is simply amazing. To watch these little (or not so little) animals interact with each other and display distinctly different characters is seriously moving and hugely enjoyable.The only draw back is the inaccessibility of the place itself but we can get round that with aircraft and are now running regular trips for clients wishing to enjoy the spectacle of all sizes of elephants at very close range.There is a very comfortable three cottage/tent Camp site there with a big Mess and kitchen with helpful staff in it. You have to take your own food and drink but the cooking and general housekeeping will be done by those in Camp so you can concentrate on the immediate surrounds and the orphaned elephants twice a day (at the mudbath at 1100 where you personally get to feed them out of huge bottles and then again as they return to the stockades in the evening!)Please check out the website  http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/index.asp and you will see how it all works. I know where I will be next weekend off!     Garry Cullen

8th December

Ol- Jogi II on a full day with  Luca Montannelli, Muti Matia and Allessandro Giangio had 6 sail tagged/released.

Ol- Jogi II again with the Allessandro Giangio Party had 7 sailfish, 3 giant trevally tagged/released; a couple of yellowfin tuna and dorado.

Simba out for bait with just the crew had 4 tuna and dorado.

Un Reel with Geoff Bell had 7 sailfish released and a yellowfin.

Vuma with David and Valerie Hall had 1 sailfish released; a couple of kingfish, baracuda and yellowfin tuna.

Ol-Jogi II with Marius and Jan Eksteen had 20 sailfish tagged/released and 1 wahoo 13kgs on a full day trip.

Un reel with the Watts party had a total of 3 sailfish. 

B's Nest with Garry and Gai Cullen had 9 sailfish all tagged/released on "Fly".

Ol- Jogi II with the Eksteens again had 2 sailfish tagged/released and a dorado.

Simba with Gray & Crista Cullen and Suzanne Cosgrove had 6 sailfish on Fly.

Tega with Nigel Pothecary on a special bottom fishing trip returned with 40 snappers, 2 groupers all weighing 106kgs and a yellowfin 4kgs.

Un Reel with Andrew Nightingale had a total of 27 sailfish in a 10 hour trip .

White Bear with Richard Baudry had 9 sailfish all day fishing alone on Fly.

White Dove with David and Valerie Hall had 11 sailfish, all released.

B's Nest again with Garry and Gai Cullen for the 2nd day in a row had 9 sailfish again all on Fly.

Ol- Jogi II on the last day for the EKsteens had 2 giant trevally tagged/ released; 4 yellowfin and a baracuda.

White Bear with Richard Baudry again and Crista Cullen had only 2 sailfish tagged/released on Fly; most sails having been hooked and lost.

Tega with Jason Khadour  and Joyce Liliane had 10 sailfish all tagged and a yellowfin tuna.

Instedda skippered by Imraan Moosa fished by Mike Fischer had 9 sailfish tagged/released.

White Bear with Richard Baudry on his last day had 2 sailfish on Fly.

White Dove with David and Valerie Hall had a total of 3 sailfish.

B's Nest with Garry and Gai Cullen had 4 sailfish on fly.

Tega on a second half day with Chris, Rodney and Catherine Vorley had 10 yellowfin 34 kgs.

Un Reel skippered by Rob Hellier and fished by Chris Deane had a wonderful Blue Marlin est 80kgs tagged/released and 5 sailfish, 1 yellowfin and a dorado.

 Tarka reported 82 sailfish tagged/ released over a 4 day fishing period.

1st December - Vuma on a half day with Stephen and Sian Browm had 1 sailfish tagged and released; 1 small kingfish and a barracuda.

2nd December - Tega on a full day with Martin Webster went bottom fishing and had 170kgs of bottom fish (snappers and groupers).

Ol-Jogi with Colin Taylor, Craig Thomassen and Craig Middleton had 2 sailfish and 5 amberjack tagged/released and some Falusi.

B's Nest with Marcel and Annick Prot had 7 sailfish all Tagged/Released and all caught on fly.

White Bear with Brad Cartwright and Gareth George had 1 sailfish T/R on fly.

3rd December - Marcel and Annick Prot again on B's Nest had 4 sailfish on fly all T/R.

Ol-Jogi with Craig Thomassen, Colin Taylor and Craig Middleton had 1 sail T/R, 1 Yellowfin Tuna and a falusi.

Simba with Mark Allen and crew had 2 sails caught on fly.

White Bear with Gareth George and Brad Cartwright had 2 sails T/R; with one on fly.

4th December - B's Nest with Marcel and Annick Prot had 4 sails T/R all caught on fly.

Ol-Jogi with Craig Thomassen had 3 sails T/R.

Simba with Garry Cullen had 3 sails all T/R on fly and a wahoo.

Vuma with David and Valerie Hall had 1 sail and 1 Giant Trevally released and 5 yellowfin tuna.

White Bear with Gareth George and Brad Cartwright had 4 sails all on fly.

5th December - White Bear with Gareth George and Brad Cartwright again had 1 sail T/R and 2 yellowfin Tuna.

Simba with Mark Allen and Rob Hellier had 5 sails tagged and released; all caught on fly.

Vuma with Andrew and Anne Craig had 2 sails released and a kingfish.

Happy Striker with James and Clair Adcock had 2 sails released and a kingfish.

B's Nest with Craig Thomassen,Craig Middleton and Colin Taylor had 3 sails all on fly; a yellowfin and dorado.

Ol-Jogi with Alessandro Giangio, Luca Montanelli and Mattis Muti on an overnight trip had 1 Striped Marlin and 1 Broadbill T/R.

6th December - White Bear with Richard Baudry had 1 sailfish T/R on fly.

7th December -

B's Nest with Jeremy Block had 2 sailfish on fly.

Simba with Garry Cullen had 3 sailfish on fly.

Richard Baudry on White Bear had 1 sail on fly.

Instedda with Imran Moosa had 6 sailfish T/R.

Other boats in the area were also enjoying the sailfish run with Tarka skippered by Callum Looman having 3 charters run over the week and reporting a total of 25 sail T/R.

Alleycat with Pete Darnborough had 2 days run and reported 12 sails T/R.

On the final day of the Captain Morgan Competition another 53 sail fish were caught, tagged and released.

This made of a magnificent final tally of 488 sailfish on just 40 boat days; an average of 12.2 billfish per boat!

Whilst everyone did well, there does have to be a winner in the end. The team winners were Team Two; Kirk Webber,Graham Ellis, Peter de Stadler and Warren Wright for a total of 64 sail.

The individual winner was from Team Six, Pierre Barnard with 25 Sail in total.

Congratulations to one and all!

Our amazing sailfish catches are due to large numbers of small bait fish having decided to set up housekeeping in the Malindi/Watamu area. These large shoals of tiny fish are herded together into bait balls by the sailfish who then dive through them, slashing away with their bills; catching and eating dozens of fish at a time.

As the picture shows, we are experiencing our very own version of a Blue Planet show, with large flocks of sea birds dive bombing the balls of fish when they hit the surface and huge numbers of sailfish circling from below.

With so much free food, catching the sail is a challenge; going for those already sated on a bait ball is pointless, the skippers concentrate on the outer edges, targeting the sail as they arrive into the shoal area before they start feeding.

Don’t you fancy having a day out fishing?

Day Five of the competition kept the numbers rising; today another 74 sailfish were tagged and released. A grand total so far of 435 sailfish in just five days of fishing.

Now don't you all wish you were here?

It is onto Day Four of the Captain Morgan competition and the sailfish run continues to amaze! At the latest count there have been 361 sail fish tagged and released as of the end of todays fishing. Another 83 sail were caught today, making the run so far as follows; 83, 98, 97 and 83. And there are two more days to come!

The Capt Morgan crew had a day off from fishing today; but not from the sea! They headed out to an isolated sandbank and had a little party until the tide came rolling in!

Yesterday Captain Morgan had a competition record catch of 83 sailfish on 7 boats; today they went even better with only 6 boats fishing, an amazing 98 sailfish were caught, tagged and released!

The Captain Morgan Fishing competition kicked off today with a huge bang! With seven boats fishing today a total of 83 sailfish were tagged and released! Outstanding and congratulations to everyone.

3rd November 08 - Ol- jogi II with David Appleton on a full day had 4 Sailfish tagged and released, 4 Dorado 19kgs.

Un Reel with Peter Hitchens and Tanya Clarke on a full day had 5 sailfish T/R, 2 Wahoo 10kgs, 1 Yellowfin Tuna 16kgs, and 1 Falusi 5kgs.

4th November 08 - Un Reel again with Peter Hitchens/Tanya Clarke had a Sailfish 42kgs and 8 Yellowfin 49kgs.

Ol-Jogi II with David Appleton had 6 sailfish ( one on Fly est 28kgs) T/R and some small fish.

B's Nest fished by Roger Sutherland and Karen Jeffrey had 5 sailfish T/R, a Tuna and Wahoo of small size.

5th November 08 - Tarka on half day fished by Hilary Hunter and Bernadette Buckley had 1 Sail 21kgs and 1 wahoo 8kgs.

B's Nest fished by David Appleton on a full day 5 Sailfish T/R.

6th November 08 - Ol- Jogi II with Peter Hitchens/ Tanya Clarke had 5 Sailfish T/R.

Un Reel with Michael and Lex Jordan had 7 Sailfish all released, 4 yellowfin Tuna 28kgs and Kingfish 7kgs.

7th November 08 - Tarka on a full day with Helga Neels and Phillip Revett had 1 Kingfish 11kgs, 1 Cobia 13.5kgs and 1 Wahoo 7kgs.

B's Nest with Roger and Chris Sutherland on a full day had only 1 Sailfish T/R.

Un Reel with Tammy, Henry, Richard Northmore had only 7 Tuna 45kgs and 1 baracuda 4kgs.

8th November 08 - Derek Dunn and Tom Dunn on Ol-Jogi II fishing a full day had 1 Sailfish T/R, 5 Dorado 28kgs and 1 Yellowfin Tuna 6kgs.

9th November 08 - B's Nest on a full day with Roger Sutherland and Karen Jeffrey had only 2 Yellowfin Tuna 18kgs and 1 Dorado 3kgs.

Ol-Jogi II with David Appleton had 2 Sailfish T/R, 3 Wahoo 24kgs and 1 Rainbow Runner 9kgs.

10th November 08 - White Bear with Paul Elliot on a half day had 1 Giant Trevally T/R and a Gar Fish 3kgs.

Un Reel with Phillip Revett had 1 Sailfish Released, 3 Yellowfin 22kgs and 2 king 20kgs.

Ol- Jogi II on a full day with David Appleton had a great day fighting bottom fish weighing 80kgs, 65kgs of Falusi and had also 2 grey Shark Tagged/Released est 10kgs and 20kgs respectively.

11th November 08 - Alleycat with Rein and Sybrand Smith released 1 Sail, had a couple of Yellowfin 13kgs, a Wahoo 13kgs and a dorado 7kgs.

B's Nest with Malcolm Shire on a full day had 4 Sailfish T/R.

Un Reel with Jonathan and Jeffrey Nagel had 1 Black Marlin released est 65kgs and a Giant Trevally 10kgs T/R, couple of Kingfish 26kgs.

Ol- Jogi II with Wim Smit, Reinder Smit and Koos Koos had 1 Sail T/R, a Baracuda 18kgs and some bottom fish 55kgs (Snappers/Groupers).

12th November 08 -B's Nest with Syb Smit, Rohas van Dales and Hendrda de Haans had 6 Sailfish T/R and 1 yellowfin 6kgs.

Ol- Jogi II with Reinder Smit, Koos Koos and Wim Smit again had 4 Sailfish T/R, a couple of Falusi 12kgs, 1 Baracuda 6kgs and 1 Kingfish 4kgs.

Tarka on a half day with Guy Phoenix had a couple of Yellowfin, wahoo and Dorado all small size.

Tega on a half day with Perry Trexler, Christopher Drennan, Richard Bentry and Paul Radularic had some Dorado, Kingfish and wahoo and speckled snapper 7kgs.

13th November 08 - B's Nest on a full day with the Koos party again had 2 Sailfish T/R.

Ol- Jogi II on a full day with the Koos party again had 2 Sailfish T/R, some Dorado and wahoo all small size.

Un Reel with Philip Revett on a full day had 2 yellowfin and a wahoo ( small size)

15th November 08 - Un Reel with Chris James had 5 Sailfish all released plus a couple of Tuna and Dorado.

Simba coming back from Lamu having been away for over 2 weeks reported 50 Sailfish all Tagged and Released; among them Eight on "FLY" caught by Garry and Gai Cullen. Other fishermen listed were Phillip Revett ( 13 Sail), Monica Nias (15 Sail), Richard Chambers (3 Sail), Mtawali Zia heading the Crew had 6 Sail and others had a couple each.

16th November 08 - Ol- Jogi II with Mohammed Omar, Hetham Omar, Carl Badenhorst and Jacques Nell had 6 Sail T/R, some wahoo and falusi.

Simba again on a "Sail for Fly Hunt" fished by Garry and Gai Cullen had 4 Sail T/R.

White Bear with Pim, Ron and Sara Preesman closed the chapter on a full day serious fishing which saw them return home with 13 Sailfish all tagged and released;a couple of Yellowfin Tuna and a Wahoo.

27th October - Vuma fished by Jesper Johannesen on a full day had 6 yellowfin 36kgs and a kingfish 11kgs.

28th October - Bamara out on a half day for bottom fish with Dicky Evans, David Nicholas and Garry Cullen had 1 amberjack 13kgs, rainbowrunner 8kgs, 2 groupers 37kgs and some snappers 6kgs.

B's Nest fished by Fred Scherf on fullday had 1 sailfish tagged and released est 30kgs; a wahoo and a falusi.

29th October - Ol-jogi out on a full day with Jesper Johannesen again had only 3 wahoo 28kgs.

B's Nest also on a full day with David Jones, Keaton Taylor and Mark Taylor had 5 sailfish tagged/released and a yellowfin 18kgs.

30th October - B's Nest on a half day with Paul, Judith and Joe Baynham had 1 sailfish and 2 small yellowfin tuna.

Unreel with Silas Duffy on a full day boated a badly hooked Silver Tip Shark 88kgs, couple of wahoo and yellowfin and a falusi about 15kgs each.

Vuma on a half day had a kingfish 23kgs and couple of Giant trevally 33kgs and 7kgs respectively.

31st October - Ol- Jogi II out on a half day with Jane and Andy Williamson had only 2 falusi 8kgs.

B's Nest on a full day with David Jones, Keaton Taylor and Mark Taylor had 3 sailfish tagged and released and a yellowfin 20kgs.

1st November - B's Nest out on a half day with the David Jones party again and had only a small yellowfin 5kgs.

Vuma on a half day had only a couple of kingfish 15kgs and a yellowfin 6kgs.

2nd November -Instedda on a half day with Michael Foley and Imraan Moosa had 8 sailfish T/R.

Tega on a full day of bottom fishing had 210kgs of snappers and groupers.

Ol-Jogi II on a full day with David Appleton had 3 wahoo 40kgs and 7 dorados 38kgs.

Other Boats - Allycat with Pete Darnborough reported 1 Black Marlin 65kgs; 12 sailfish and 2 Black Tip Sharks and over 420kgs yellowfin tuna on a 5 days run in Kiwayu.

Happy Anniversary Hemingways!

"The little waves, with their soft, white hands, efface the footprints in the sands, and the tide rises, the tide falls." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Twice a day for 20 years the little waves of Watamu have been washing away the footprints of our guests. During that time we have built a reputation as one of the leading small hotels of the world. Our guests have been an important contributor to that success. We look forward to welcoming you again as we continue our journy and thank all of you who have been a part of Hemingways success so far.

Hemingways turned 20 this weekend! Of course there was a lovely celebration at the hotel with Chef Omar providing a superb, 8 course dinner; our Housekeeping team made the restaurant look simply stunning with their flower arrangements and our Food and & Beverage team provided our classic service with a smile. We only wish that all of you could have joined us for the celebrations.

20th October - Unreel on a full day with Andrew Nightingale released 3 sailfish est 24kgs, 27kgs and 32kgs, 6 yellowfin tuna 52kgs and 1 wahoo 17kgs.

Ol-Jogi II with Peter Smith on a full day had 9 yellowfin tuna 23kgs.

21st October - B's Nest on a full day with Martin,Jessica & Jay Webster had 1 sailfish T/R est 25kgs.

Alley Cat with Peter Darnborough on a full day had 1 sail T/R est 32kgs and some Falusi.

22nd October - Ol- Jogi II fished by Mike and Jamie Cuthbert on a half day had 3 sail T/R est 30kgs.

Simba with Phil Revett out on a bottom fishing trip had 29 Snappers weighing 85kgs, (1 snapper weighing 15kgs), 2 groupers 15 kgs and some bait fish.

23rd October - Bamara on a bottom fishing trip fished by Dicky Evans, Philip Revett, Garry Cullen, Stuart Simpson & Jonathan Howells had 1 amberjack 11kgs, 25 Snappers 68kgs and 2 Warsaw Groupers 47kgs.

Simba on a full day with Mark Allen had 3 yellowfin Tuna 28kgs.

B's Nest on a half day fished by Bruce & Deborah Whitefield ,Josephine Silayev and Yuriy Cruzat had 2 yellowfin Tuna 20kgs and 1 Baracuda 3kgs.

24th October - Vuma on a full day had a couple of Tuna, Baracuda and Falusi.

25th October Surue with Stuart Simpson and Garry Cullen on a bait hunt had 1 kingfish 18.5 kgs and some bonitos 19kgs.

Vuma with Jesper Johannesen on full day boated 2 Giant Trevally 16kgs, 1 Kingfish 9kgs and 1 wahoo 11kgs.

26th October - Ol- Jogi II with Mike and Jamie Cuthbert again on a full day had 1 sailfish est 25kgs T/R ON FLY,(Congratulations!!) and 2 yellowfin 5.5 kgs.

B's Nest fishing a half day with Richard, Sarah, Joseph and Lydia Webb had 3 yellowfin 15kgs, 1 Kingfish 11kgs and 1 Garfish 2kgs.

Tega on a half day with Damian and Josh Davies had 1 kingfish 10kgs and a yellowfin Tuna 5kgs.

10th October - Simba fishing with Mark and Tina Allen on a full day had 1 wahoo 15kgs, 1 Karambesi 22kgs, 2 yellowfin 23kgs and some bait fish.

Unreel with David Bird, Philip Revett, Chris Senekal and Nick had a sailfish and Giant Trevally released est 30kg and 10kg. Weighed 3 wahoo 38kgs, 2 yellowfin 11kgs, 1 GT 9kgs and a dorado 7kgs.

11th October - Bamara out on a half day with Gai Cullen weighed a wahoo at 15.5kgs.

Unreel with Jim Taylor and Vicky Taylor on a full day weighed 13 wahoo at a total of 180kgs.

Vuma on full day had 2 yellowfin at 38kgs and a wahoo 15kgs.

12th October -Unreel with the Birdie Team had 12 wahoo weighing 178kgs and 1 tuna 18kgs.

13th October - B's Nest on a full day with Chris Senekal reported 2 wahoo 27kgs and 1 yellowfin of 18kgs.

Ol-Jogi with Kristian and Erik Hammer on full day had 1 kingfish 12kgs, 1 wahoo 11kgs 1 barracuda 7kgs and a yellowfin 18.5kgs.

14th October -Tengesi with Adam Ogden and crew on half day had 5 wahoo of 81.5kgs and a small tuna 3kgs.

Simba with Mark Allen had 2 sailfish tagged/released estimated at 28kgs.

15th October -Tengesi with Adam Ogden and Gary McIntyre had 2 wahoo 28kgs and 4 yellowfin tuna 12kgs.

16th October - Simba with Steve and Katrina Edmondson tagged and released 8 sailfish on a day and 1 tuna 8kgs.

Tengesi on a 2 hour leisure run had a sailfish caught and fought by Jack Ogden est 30kgs.

Vuma with Alan Young, Des Jones and Mike Carl had 2 wahoo 35kgs, a kingfish 12kgs and a dorado 7kgs.

18th October - Ol- Jogi out on half day with the Peter Smith party had 2 sailfish tagged and released est 25kgs and 38kgs and 5 dorados 18kgs.

B's Nest with the Ashwin Kapoor Family on a half day had only 1 tuna 7kgs.

19th October -B's Nest on Half day to extend with the Jonathan Corby party had 1 sailfish T/R est 28kgs and a couple of dorados 15kgs.

Vuma with Frank Clarke, Mike Clarke, Jean Malley had just a wahoo 15kgs.

Other reports for the week include Unreel who reported 25 sailfish tagged and released on a 4 day run.

Alleycat reported 2 bullsharks boated est 360lbs and 430lbs, 9 sailfish tagged and released during the Malindi Festival plus some wahoo and yellowfin.

Simba recorded a total of 1 black marlin T/R est 60kgs and 10 sailfish during the Festival Tournament.

29th Setember - B's Nest fishing a morning half day with Tesitlin Oleg, Alexander and Olru skippered by Capt Jack had 4 wahoo 58kgs and 1 king fish 23kgs.

30th September - B's Nest fishing on a full day by Alex Duffar had a lucky day tagging a Black Marlin est 40kgs, 2 yellowfin tuna 21kgs, 3 wahoo 39.5kgs and 1 baracuda 4kgs.

Tarka out for a full day had a sailfish 28kgs, 4 yellowfin tuna 36kgs and 2 wahoo 32kgs.

1st October - B's Nest fished by the Russian Tseitlin party had a Black Marlin T/R est 500lbs fought/tagged by Mr. Tseitlin, and a good haul of 9 yellowfin tuna 53kgs.

Ol-jogi II fished by Phillip Revett and Gordon Abrams skippered by Rob Hellier had 4 yellowfin tuna 36kgs, 2 wahoo 29kgs, 2 kingfish 22kgs and some bait fish.

2nd October - Un Reel fishing full day with David Bird came home with 17 tuna 172 kgs, 1 wahoo 13kgs and a kingfish 4kgs.

3rd October - Chris and Sheila Senekal on B's Nest for a full day had 9 yellowfin 56kgs and 3 wahoo 42kgs.

Vuma on half day with Des Jones/Pat Chartlon and Frank Clarke had 5 yellowfin tuna 35kgs, 2 kingfish 20kgs, 1 wahoo 14kgs and a baracuda 8kgs.

White Dove on full day with Phillip Revett, Stuart Simpson and Callum Looman had 31 yellowfin tuna 213kgs, 3 wahoo 26kgs and 1 dorado 7kgs.

4th October - Un Reel with David Bird, Phillip Revett and Stuart Simpson had 2 wahoo 28kgs, and 24 yellowfin tuna 170kgs.

5th October - Tarka on half day had 3 wahoo 43kgs and 7 yellowfin 60kgs.

6th October - Un Reel with David Bird, Phillip Revett and Chris Senekal had 32 yellowfin 185kgs, 1 red snapper 9.5 kgs and 2 grouper 31kgs.

Tarka on full day had 1 Black Marlin T/R est 100kgs and a Silver Tip Shark boated 72kgs.

7th October - Ol- Jogi II on a full day with Capt Jack, Stuart Simpson, Jeff Mukolwe and Crew had 5 yellowfin 47kgs, 2 Baracuda 11kgs, 1 wahoo 7.5 kgs, 1 king 4kgs and 2 rainbow runner 6 kgs.

Tarka on full day had 16 yellowfin 102 kgs, 2 wahoo 27kgs and 1 kingfish 20kgs.

8th October - Un Reel on full day had 3 yellowfin 62 kgs, 4 groupers 44kgs, 1 barracuda 6.5 kgs, 1 wahoo 14.5 kgs.

Alley Cat on full day boated a Bull Shark 160kgs, yellowfin tuna and wahoo.

B's Nest only fished 2 days this week on the 27th and 28th. She was fished by Cathy Tucker, Rodolfo Zeledon, and Randy Skov and they had a Black marlin tagged/released estimated at 50kgs, plenty of dorado, wahoo and kingfish all of a relatively small size.

Ol-Jogi II also out for 2 days ( 28th fished by Richard and Kerry Sheard ) and they released a Black Tip Shark estimated at 120kgs, and some yellowfin tuna.

Tarka was out for 3 days this week and recorded about 550 kgs of Tuna among other fish with 3 Yellowfin Tuna weighing 52kgs, 49kgs and 45kgs respectively having fished on the mountains.

Unreel with Rob Hellier had 4 days out fishing and scoring top on the billfish having tagged 2 Black Marlin est 80kgs and 85kgs, one released by Hemingways repeat client Peter Beech with his first ever marlin. Congratulations Peter!

They also lost a big Black Marlin est over 500LBS having fought for over 6 hrs. Unreel also scored the top yellowfin tuna of the week which weighed 59kgs.

On the 17th September, B's Nest was out for a full day fished by Ian Parker and Keith Husband but had a slow day, returning home with 2 wahoo at 23kgs and 1 king 10kgs.

Simba fishing with George Allen on a full day recorded 8 Tunny 42kgs. Generally small size fish around at the moment.

On the 18th September, B's Nest was out for a full day with Hayward Jones and Neil Rodwell and they had 1Wahoo 13kgs, 2 Kingfish 27kgs and small tunny.

The 19th September had Ol-jogi on a full day with Jones/Rodwell Party and had 5 wahoo between 16kgs - 18kgs.

B's Nest with Ian Parker/ Keith Husband had a good day with Ian tagging a Black Marlin est at 50kgs and fought over 45 minutes plus 4 wahoo with 1 recorded over 25kgs.

Simba with George Allen had just small tunny returning home after a days fishing. Better luck next time George!

On the 20th September B's Nest fishing the last day for the South Africans Hayward/Rodwell and they had only just 1 small tuna of 5kgs.

Ol-Jogi II fished by Mark & Tracey Wynn recorded 2 sailfish tagged estimated at 22kgs and 25kgs respectively, some medium size wahoo and kingfish.

Simba with George Allen again on a full day recorded 12 yellowfin tuna, 1 tunny weighed 31kgs and another five all over 20kgs, plus some small wahoo.

Tarka had a striped marlin est at 55kgs and plenty of good size wahoo, kingfish and tuna after 4 days fishing over the week.

Alley Cat with Peter Darnborough had 1 Black Marlin est at 150kgs, some Tuna over 25kgs, Karambesi and wahoo, having 5 days fished in the week.

On the 10th september Ol-Jogi II was out for two half days; first half fished by Garry Cullen and Adam Ogden and the second half fished by James Velnon, Gray Cullen, Suz Cosgroove, Neil Halliday and C. Gent. They had a total of 3 kingfish 30kgs, 1 wahoo 12kgs, some yellow fin tuna and falusi.

B's Nest was also out for a full day skippered by Jackson with Dickie and Jackie Pratt and they came home with 3 yellow fin tuna, wahoo and a dorado all relativelly small.

On the 11th B's Nest was out again for a half day shared between Linda/ Keith Husband, Ragini Shah and Hiten Pankhania, and caught 5 yellowfin tuna and 1 wahoo 20kgs.

On the 12th Ol-Jogi II was out for a full day with Dickie/ Jackie Pratt and brought in 2 king fish 30 kgs, wahoo and tuna.

On the 13th and 14th B's Nest fished half days with Mick May and recorded 6 yellowfin tuna 32kgs, 2 wahoo 25kgs, and a kingfish 10kgs.

On the 14th Ol-Jogi was also out with the John Walker Party half day and they brought in 5 yellowfin 27kgs and a good size Baraccuda of 14kgs.

Other boats fishing this week were Tarka which had 2 Black Marlin est 55kgs and 75kgs all released, plenty of wahoo and yellowfin.

Peter Darnborough on Alley Cat also recorded 2 Black Marlin all under 80kgs which were tagged/released and boated a sailfish about 30kgs plus plenty of wahoo + tuna.

Rob Hellier with Un Reel fished 4 days this week had 1 Black Marlin and missed 4 other Marlins, and had 25kgs wahoo and king fish.Z

On the 1st September B's Nest fishing a full day with Ron and Pam Davies managed to collect a variety of small fish including 10 school tuna of 55kgs, wahoo, dorado and some rainbow runners.

On the 3rd September and the second day for the Davies party on a full day and had 6 small tunnies of 35kgs and 1 Giant Trevally tagged/released and estimated at 21kgs.

On the 4th B's Nest was out again on a half day shared between two parties with Charles Balkaran, Melanie Tether and Dianne Holmes and they had to boat a sailfish hooked badly at 28kgs, 3 small tuna 15kgs, a king 17kgs and 1 dorado 5kgs.

On the 5th September the Davies Party again on their last day were desperate for a big fish and were lucky at last and had a Black Marlin estimated at 90kgs tagged/released. They also had 7 small tunny 35kgs, 2 wahoo at 30kgs, plus a kingfish and barracuda at 10kgs and 9kgs respectively.

A good time was had by all!

On the 6th September B's Nest out on a full day with Ian and Gill Parker tagged a Black Tip Shark 120kgs,and caught small tunny and various bait fish.

Tarka with Callum Looman fishing over 4 days had a total of 4 Black Marlin; 3 tagged/released est 90kgs, 70kgs and 60kgs. 1 marlin boated at 103kgs and 2 sailfish T/R and a wahoo of 32kgs.

Alleycat with Peter Danborough only out for 1 day had 2 sail fish T/R.

Unreel with Rob Hellier out only for 2 days had good size Wahoo and plenty of tuna.

As families head back home for the new school term it was a quieter week for charters. However, there was still plenty of excitement for those who did go fishing!

On the 25th August, B's Nest, fishing with Rodger Ayling, on an afternoon half day had a black marlin in the last hour estimated at 120kgs which was tagged and released.

Alley Cat was out on Wednesday 27th August and had 1 black marlin estimated at 50kgs, some good size wahoo and several kingfish.

Unreel with Rob Hellier fished 5 days this week and had a total of 3 blacks estimated at 150kgs, 100kgs and 90kgs; plus a sail at 35kgs - all tagged and released. They also boated 6 wahoo and 3 yellowfin tuna all over 20kgs.

And this is all at the slow, starting point of the season!

B's Nest continues to bring in plenty of good sized Kingfish, Wahoo and tuna. Janet and Steve Bartlett also managed to catch a 45kg sailfish on the 17th August. Congratulations Steve and Janet!

The Berwind's brought in two wahoo and a large Kingfish on the 21st; Alan and Graham McKittrick also had wahoo and kingfish on the 23rd. John Molter and David Howarth caught their dinner on the 24th with a couple of Dorado plus more Kingfish, wahoo and tuna.

There continue to be good marlin catches with a total of 9 Blacks tagged and released; all estimated at 65-80kg. A few Sail are also around, Unreel with Rob Hellier captaining has tagged and released 4 sail in the last week.

Sashimi is also on the menu with good, 30kg yellowfin tuna being caught. Why not head our way and join in the fun?

It has been a wet and windy week with lots of rough seas. However, the fishing is going very well for so early in the season.

B's Nest is bringing good sized tuna and wahoo (averaging 10-15kg) almost every day and has Tagged and Released several Giant Trevally. She also Tagged and Released an estimated at 60kg Black Marlin yesterday, much to the delight of Hemingways first timers, Kevin and Ryan Doran.

Alleycat caught a 92kg Bullshark last week and Tarka had a large, 18kg tuna and 27kg of wahoo.

B's Nest went out yesterday, August 3rd, for her first charter of the season, with the Armstrong family and Rob Hellier as captain. They came back having tagged a 100 pound Black Marlin and with two large tuna; one of 15kg and one of 20kg. A good size wahoo of 12 kg was also brought in.

Fishing has started already here despite the seas being quite choppy at times. The Marlin and sail are around in good numbers and in the last month these are a few of the results! 22 June - with Clients Cunningham-Reid - 2 blacks, estimated at 70kg each; plus 1 bullshark at 450 pounds 10th July - 2 blacks, estimated 90kg and 70 Kg, 3 sails all Tagged & Released 12th July - 3 blacks, all Tagged & Released, 2 sails also Tagged & Released 13th July - with client Willy Bland - 2 blacks, estimated 95kg and 110kg; Tagged & Released 16th July - with client Raymond Matiba - 1 striped marlin estimated 80kg, and they raised 8 marlins which they lost. There are lots of wahoo and skipper Callum on Tarka has boated 4-5 over 30kg. Also good sized tuna around - over 20kg. Why not come and see for yourself!

Next to the conference room, in the gardens of the hotel, we now have a purpose built Day Spa. Isabelle and her Spa team now have four, spacious treatment rooms and a comfortable reception in which to wait for your session. Isabelle has also been over in the USA for the last few months, learning new treatments to further improve our Spa services. Our hair dressing salon has been incorporated into this Day Spa to create one central area for all our health and beauty facilities.

During our last off season we spent some time redeveloping our website to make it easier to use and more interactive.

We have now included additional features like this news area, a login area to participate in discussions with other guests or talk about fishing.

We also hope to be able to bring online shortly our new webcam which shows a view along the beach towards the south east of Watamu bay.